Spain will take on Austria in their Round of 32 clash at the FIFA World Cup 2026. The defending European Champion, Spain, heads into the match with full confidence, having topped the Group H standings with one draw and two wins.
Way back in 1990, Austria registered their last win over Spain, a 3-2 friendly. The two teams haven’t even played each other since 2009, when Spain thrashed Austria 5-1, with David Villa scoring twice.
Quick Match details
Tournament: FIFA World Cup 2026
Stage: Round of 32
Date: July 3
Kick-off Time: 3 p.m. ET / 12 p.m. PT / 8 p.m. BST & 12:30 a.m. IST (July 4)
Venue: SoFi Stadium, Inglewood, United States
Spain vs Austria: Match Preview and Current Form
Spain
Spain cruised into the World Cup as Group H winners. After a disappointing campaign opener against Cape Verde, they bounced back strongly and picked up seven points from nine, not letting in a single goal the whole group stage.
They booked their spot in the knockouts by beating Uruguay 1-0 in the final match, with Alex Baena scoring the winner. But honestly, it was Spain’s defence that really impressed people. They’ve kept a clean sheet in every match so far in North America, haven’t allowed a single shot on target in any first half, and haven’t faced more than six shots total in any of their last five World Cup games. Only one other team has managed that since 1966 – Argentina, back in 2022.
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Spain’s unbeaten streak now sits at 34 games across all competitions. That’s just one short of their own national record of 35, set between 2007 and 2009, and getting close to the all-time world record too. That record belongs to Italy’s Euro 2020-winning squad, who went unbeaten for 37 games. Spain are strong favourites to close that gap even further in their next match on Thursday.
World Cup form: D-W-W
Austria
Austria’s final group game was the complete opposite – full of goals and drama. Ralf Rangnick’s side scraped into the last 32 dramatically. If Riyad Mahrez’s two goals for Algeria had held up as the winning margin, Austria would’ve been knocked out in third place due to a worse goal difference than Senegal. But Austria’s tall striker Sasa Kalajdzic headed in an equalised thw score in the 96th minute, making it 3-3 and keeping Austria alive.
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They finished second in the group on goal difference, ahead of Algeria. Austria also became the first team ever to avoid losing a World Cup match after falling behind in second-half stoppage time.
It also ends a long 72-year wait for Austria to reach the World Cup knockout stage. The last time they got this far was in 1954, when they beat Switzerland 7-5 in a wild quarter -final before losing 6-1 to West Germany in the semis.
World Cup form: W-L-D
Spain vs Austria: Team News and Injury Update
Spain
Spain has an impressive defence in the lineup, and that’s come at just the right time. However, the major concern is that Coach De la Fuente is dealing with injury worries up front, with Yeremy Pino, Nico Williams, and Victor Munoz having suffered from shoulder, groin, and thigh injuries, respectively, and their availability is uncertain.
Munoz, who’s set to join Liverpool, looks the most likely of the three to be fit. Still, Baena has earned the right to keep his spot on the left after scoring the winning goal against Uruguay, which was his first for the national team since October 2024.
The one real headache for De la Fuente is in midfield. Mikel Merino started against Uruguay, but Fabian Ruiz, Dani Olmo, and Gavi are all pushing hard to take his place.
Austria
On the Austria’s side, veterans Marko Arnautovic and David Alaba came out of the wild 6-goal game against Algeria a bit banged up, but it’s nothing worse than minor knee soreness.
Otherwise, no fitness or injury concerns has bee reported so far. Kevin Danso and Michael Gregoritsch are ready to step in for Alaba and Arnautovic if needed, though Kalajdzic’s standout performance probably won’t be enough to earn him a starting spot.
Spain and Austria Probable starting XI
Spain Probable starting XI
Goalkeeper: Unai Simón
Defenders: Marcos Llorente, Pau Cubarsí, Aymeric Laporte, Marc Cucurella
Midfielders: Mikel Merino, Rodri Pedri
Attackers / Forwards: Lamine Yamal (Right Winger), Mikel Oyarzabal (Centre Forward), Álex Baena (Left Winger)
Austria Probable starting XI
Goalkeeper: Alexander Schlager
Defenders: Stefan Posch, Philipp Lienhart, David Alaba, Phillipp Mwene
Midfielders: Nicolas Seiwald, Xaver Schlager, Konrad Laimer, Romano Schmid, Marcel Sabitzer
Forward: Marko Arnautović
Also Read: List Of Football Players Who Won The FIFA World Cup As Player And Manager
